ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — One of the Denver Broncos‘ biggest roster decisions that does not involve a quarterback’s name will be who gets to line up at cornerback opposite Pat Surtain II.
The CB2 job means seeing a lot of work: Opposing quarterbacks would much rather challenge that guy than Surtain, one of the league’s top defensive backs. And whoever wins the gig has to be ready to deal with that pressure.
“Absolutely — obviously, Pat is one of the best corners in football, so if you’re playing opposite of Pat, you’re going to get most of the targets,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. “That’s part of it. So having a guy who is resilient and who can work through adversity during games and kind of invite being attacked [is important]. It’s kind of a good thing for a corner also because you can make a lot of plays that way.”
It isn’t the ideal job description for everyone, and the Broncos have had a difficult time effectively filling the spot. Last season, Damarri Mathis — a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft who had started 13 games as a rookie — opened the campaign opposite Surtain and started the team’s first six games. He had a pass interference penalty in the season-opener against the Las Vegas Raiders and then a defensive holding penalty in Week 3 in the 70-point barrage by the Miami Dolphins. Then in a 19-8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, Mathis had a defensive holding penalty in the first quarter and a 24-yard pass interference penalty in the second quarter — which negated an interception and return by safety Kareem Jackson that would have given the Broncos the ball at the Chiefs’ 47-yard line.
In Week 7, Mathis was benched as Fabian Moreau was inserted into the lineup. The seventh-year veteran settled things down a little bit after the move, but by season’s end, he too struggled to deal with the attention. The Raiders repeatedly went after him in the season finale, and per NFL Next Gen Stats, he allowed five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown on eight targets.
“It’s my job schematically to kind of push the ball back to Pat,” Joseph said. “That’s tough sometimes, but we can do it … but also we need to deal with things when we can’t or [when quarterbacks] make the decisions to go the other way.”
The late Darrent Williams, who played with the Broncos over 2005-06, may have described the weight of the task the best. Once asked about being the other starter at cornerback, the guy opposite of Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, Williams said: “It’s no mystery, a guy has a choice between Champ and somebody else, he’s always going to choose somebody else. So if you’re somebody else, deal with it, be ready for it — and you actually have to want it, say ‘come at me.'”
Mathis in the mix to earn the role again in 2024, as is Riley Moss (2023 draft pick), rookie Kris Abrams-Draine and veteran Levi Wallace. Coach Sean Payton lauded Mathis for his offseason conditioning work to lose some weight. But as the Broncos exited their offseason program, it looked as if Moss and Wallace had nudged their way to the front of the line.
At 6-foot and 193 pounds, Moss has the physical traits and speed (4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the 2023 scouting combine) that the Broncos want at the position. And in his limited time (three tackles on 22 defensive snaps last season), he has shown the bring-it-on chip on the shoulder needed for the job.
“He is an exceptional athlete,” Joseph said. “He makes it look easy. He’s really smooth, he’s mature, he’s smart, he has great size and great ball skills. … He’s always in a comfortable position.”
The 29-year-old Wallace was signed for much of the same reasons Moreau was last season: to be a just-in-case veteran who understands the challenges of the starting role. Wallace has played in 83 games in his career with the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, with 70 starts. He finished last season with 38 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups.
And there is also the arrival of Jim Leonhard in the decision-making process. He replaced Christian Parker as the Broncos’ defensive backs coach and also carries the duties of defensive passing game coordinator. He played for the Broncos in 2012 and spent the past eight years (seven of those at Wisconsin) as a college assistant coach.
“[Leonhard is] a great teacher of the position, and that’s important,” Joseph said. “We have young players who have to get better at fundamentals and technique and having a higher IQ as far as the schematics. So he’s a perfect fit for us.”
Leonhard will team up with Joseph to try to improve this Denver defense that allowed a 66.8% completion rate (27th in the NFL) and 7.5 yards per attempt (26th) last season.
“You need versatility, whether it’s flexibility between corners, safeties being able to play outside, inside,” Leonhard said. “You can’t hide guys anymore. You have to be able to communicate and think. If you can’t play inside the numbers, they just put their best receiver in there and work those matchups. … [But] talent wins in this league. Obviously we feel like we have one of the best corners in the NFL [in Surtain].”
Surtain and nickel corner Ja’Quan McMillian will open training camp as givens at the left cornerback and nickel cornerback spots, respectively. Beyond them, Joseph, Leonhard and Payton will have their eyes open to find what Payton consistently calls “the grit” to work in the other cornerback spot.
“I think we have great competition there,” Payton said. “But … we make decisions by what we see. We have to see it. When we see it, we’ll know.”